PARALYMPIC swimmer Stephanie Millward has moved a step closer to securing her place at Rio 2016 after being selected for the British Para-swimming Podium Programme.

Millward, who recently turned 34, is one of 22 swimmers to be chosen for the programme, with a further 22 picked for the Podium Potential Programme, as the sport enters the final stretch for Rio.

The Box swimmer, who missed the World Championships this summer after an illness, has been selected as someone who British Para-swimming believe will be in contention for a medal next year.

“This season is the big one for all of us and we have carefully considered our podium athletes for the Paralympic year,” said national performance director Chris Furber.

“The athletes selected to the Podium Programme have all demonstrated they have the ability to be able to return medals in Rio and have made positive steps to support the vision of the programme of being best-performing at the Paralympic Games.

“The funding criteria that we put in place is based on whether the athlete has demonstrated that they are on the right trajectory to reach what we’ve predicted the medal times to be in Rio.”